Rock drill guiding and cuttings disposal



July 24, 1962 J. E. FEUCHT ET AL 3,045,769

6AROCK DRLL GUIDING AND CUTTING-S DISPOSAL Filed Sept. 19, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet l July 24, 1962 J. E. FEUcHT ET AL 3,045,769

ROCK DRILL GUIDING AND CUTTINGS DISPOSAL Filed Sept. 19, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A A "111/111111 71, f

d x Y lll/11171147111111111111 n w s u N N QQ. in :n a N INVENTORS TORNEY United States Patent O 3,045,769 ROCK DRILL GUIDING AND CUTTINGS DISPOSAL Jacob E. Feucht, Garfield Heights, and Raymond P.

Dellner, North Olmsted, Ohio, assignors to Westinghouse Air Brake Company, Wilmerding, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Sept. 19, 1958, Ser. No. 762,056 13 Claims. (Cl. 175-211) The present invention relates generally to improvements in the art of drilling, and it relates more specically to improvements in the construction and operation of rock drills of the type wherein the cutting zone is normally ushed by means of compressed air or the like.

The primary object of this invention is to provide an improved method of ilushing the cutting zone of a rock drill or the like and of disposing of the removed cuttings.

Some of the more important specific objects of the invention are as follows:

To provide an improved drill guiding unit having a simplied but effective dust and chip separator constituting an integral part of the unit, and which is well adapted to carry on the steps of the above-mentioned method.

To provide improved instrumentalities for facilitating transportation of a drill bit housing, and for effecting withdrawal from the drill holes of strings of rod sections constituting part of a rock drill assemblage.

To provide improved drill centralizing and sealing means for the various part of compressed air ushed rock drilling equipment or the like.

To provide improved bale and conduit structure for eiecting the velocity of the cuttings in a stream of compressed air utilized in ilushing the cutting zone of a rock drill or the like.

To provide an improved dust and chip separator for rock drilling units, which is devoid of fans or similar complicated moving parts, but functions effectively and automatically.

To provide an improved assemblage for effecting accurate centralization of a drill bit relative to drill holes, and which protects the drill bit during withdrawal thereof from the drill holes and subsequent reuse.

To provide a cuttings removing system for air flushed rock drills, in which the wear on parts subjected to abrasive action is minimized, and wherein the ushing lluid is most eifectively applied and concentrated in the cutting zone and cuttings disposal equipment.

To provide an improved rock drill guide unit which will coact most effectively with extreme deviations in ground level conditions, and which is devoid of undesirable complications.

These and other more specific objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description.

A clear conception of the several steps constituting the present improved method of rock drill cuttings disposal, and of the construction and functioning of typical apparatus for carrying on these method steps, may be had by referring to the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate the same or similar parts in the various views.

FIG. l is a central vertical section through the drill bit housing shell and through the upper and lower glands of an air-flushed rock drill assemblage, showing a fragment of the drill coacting with the upper sealing gland as when the bit is completely withdrawn from the housms;

FIG. 2 is a section similar to that of FIG. 1, but showing a complete rock drill installation assembled and in drilling position;

FIG. 3 is another section like that of FIG. 1, but show- 3,045,769 Patented July 24, 1962 ICC ing the upper sealing gland secured to the housing and the drill bit elevated to engage this gland as during trarnrning of the drilling unit;

FIG. 4 is a sectional perspective view showing the construction of the lower air whirling gland;

FIG. 5 is a transverse section through the drill rod taken along the line 5--5 of FIG. 2, showing a top View of the improved assembly wedges;

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of a typical bit such as used in rock drill installations; and

FIG. 7 is another central vertical section through a fragment of the housing shell showing the use of slippreventing blocks for holding the drill steel when removing the drill string.

While the invention has been shown and described herein as having been embodied in a down-the-hole rock drilling installation having a specific type of compressed air ilushed drill bit, it is not intended to limit the use of all of the improved structure to such installation; and it is also contemplated that specic descriptive terms employed herein be given the broadest interpretation consistent with the disclosure.

In accordance with the present improved method of removing the cuttings and of separating the constituents thereof, compressed air is caused to constantly ow through the cutting zone under pressure and with sufficient velocity so as to continuously lift the chips and dust particles constituting these cuttings out of this zone when the drill is in action. The velocity of the cuttingstransporting air stream is thereafter initially reduced by causing this stream to whirl about the axis of the drill, and the air stream velocity is subsequently further reduced by causing the cuttings-laden stream to ilow through a conduit having an enlarged cross-section. 'I'he slower advancing stream Ais thereafter passed through a separator in which the heavier chips are removed from this stream by gravity while the dust-laden stream is delivered into the ambient atmosphere.

A typical drilling and cuttings disposal installation for exploiting this method is shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein a drill bit 8 is detachably secured to the lower end of a down-the-hole rock drill 9, the upper end of which is secured to an adjacent hollow drill rod section 10, and the bit 8 with its supporting sections 9, 10 are guided for axial movement within a housing shell 11 having therein rock drill and drill rod sealing glands 12, 13 respectively and which shell is provided with an air and cuttings outlet 14 between these glands communicating with a gravity chip and dust separator assemblage 15 through a flexible conduit 16 of relatively large transverse cross-section, see FIG. 2.

As depicted in FIGS. 2 and 6, the drill bit 8 is provided with several ports 18 directed into the cutting zone 19 at the bottom of the bore hole 20, and these ports 18 may be placed in open communication with the source of compressed a-ir through a passage 21 formed centrally within the drill and rod sections 9, 10. The lower end of the housing shell 11 is provided with a supporting flange which coacts` with pliable and resilient groundengaging sealing gasket 22 through a rigid washer 23 having an internal diameter slightly less than that of the annular shell. 11 so as to form a ledge 24 vfor supporting the lower gland. This lower gland is snugly conned within but is downwardly removable from the housing bore, and comprises a series of superimposed sleeves 25 and a succession of flexible drill engaging elements 26 conned between the sleeves `and having staggered segmental inwardly directed ilange portions 27 adapted to be distorted when engaging the periphery of the rock drill 9 and to form` a helical passage for decelerating the cuttings-laden compressed air stream rising from the 3 cutting zone 19 before this stream enters the outlet 14, see FIGS. 2 and 4.

The extreme upper end of the housing shell 11 has a relatively heavy ring 29 rmly attached thereto and which is provided with an upwardly tapered bore 30, and a pair of semi-circular drill rod guiding blocks 31, each having a manipulating handle 32 attached thereto, are tapered for snug insertion during normal operation within this upper ring bore 30 so as to provide a centralizing guide for the rod 10, rock drill 9 land bit 8` as depicted in FIG. 2. However, when the drill string is being removed, the guide blocks 31 are replaced by slip-preventing blocks 31' such as shown in FIGS. and 7, and which are provided with teeth 31 for clamping engaging the drill rod 10 when released and it tends to drop. The wedge blocks 31 have shorter radii of external curvature than that of the tapered bore 30 in the ring 29, as shown in FIG. 5, so that when the blocks 31' have been inserted, the teeth 31" will grip the rod and the wedge blocks '31 will engage the ring bore 30 with line contact instead of surface contact and will thereby assure positive gripping and positive holding of the drill rod string especially when the latter has been partially lifted Within the bore hole and tends to drop.

A rigid bushing 33I having a central bore of slightly greater internal diameter than that of the rock drill 9, is provided with a peripheral recess 34 and is adapted to be snugly confined within the bore of the shell 11 below the ring 29 and above the air outlet 14 by means of manually manipulable screws 35 threaded in this shell and which are cooperable with the bushing recess 34, as in FIGS. 2 and 3, when the drill is assembled. The upper sealing gland 13 is normally mounted upon the top of the bushing 33 and this gland also comprises a pair of superimposed sleeves 36 having flexible sealing elements 37 confined therebetween and provided with inwardly directed continuous annular flanges 38 which are sealingly cooperable with the adjacent rod section 10 during normal operation of the unit, and with the rock drill 9 when the bit 8 is being removed or the unit is being transported. Another similar flexible sealing element i39 having an inwardly directed continuous ange 40 cooperable with the sections 9, 10, and with the drill bit 8 during transportation of the unit or during bit removal, is normally held in engagement with the bushing 33 by a sleeve 41 thereby providing an efficient air seal at the upper end of the shell 11, see FIGS. 2 and 3.

The improved chip and dust separator assemblage 15 which constitutes Ian integral part of the rock drill unit and is connected to the shell outlet 14 by means of the air velocity decelerating conduit 16, comprises a vertically adjustable upright cylinder 43 slidably coacting with guide- Ways 44 carried by a supporting bracket 45 firmly secured to the ring 29 which is attached to the shell 11, and the upwardly directed delivery end 46 of the conduit 16 may be disposed coaxially of and near the lower open end of the cylinder 43, see FIG. 2. This lower cylinder end is provided with bifurcated local struts 47 which coact with a ring 48 firmly secured to the conduit end 46, and studs 49 which project radially through the strut bifurcations are provided `with hand nuts 50 for clamping the cylinder 43 in various positions vertically relative to the conduit end 46. The cylinder 43 is, however, of somewhat larger internal diameter than the external diameter of the conduit end 46 thereby providing an annular discharge gap 51 for the separated chips, but this gap is sufficiently restricted to form a velocity increasing passage for augmenting the upward ow of dust-laden air through the cylinder 43 as to prevent escape of tine dust with the chips.

When the improved rock drill guiding and separator unit has been constructed and assembled as above described and as illustrated in FIG. 2, its normal operation while carrying on the improved cuttings flushing method, is as follows. After the gasket 22 has been properly applied to the ground so as to seal the lower end of the housing shell 11 against escape of compressed air, the drill bit 8 may be actuated in a well-known manner by power transmitted through a string of rod sections 10 and through the rock drill 9 to progressively drill a hole 20. While this drilling action takes place, compressed air should also be constantly delivered from a suitable source, through the passage 21 in the sections 10, 9 and the ports 18 in the bit 8, into the cutting zone 19 at the bottom of the drill hole 20 so as to flush the cuttings comprising chips and dust upwardly from within the zone 19 and to permit the bit 8 to function with utmost efliciency.

The stream of chip and dust-laden compressed air upon leaving the drill hole 20, flows through the lower gland 12 as -it enters the shell 11, and while passing the staggered and distorted inwardly extending local flanges 27 of the flexible elements 26, this cuttings-laden compressed air stream has its velocity initially reduced by being subjected to a whirling or baffling action. The partially decelerated cuttings in the whirling stream of compressed air upon leaving the lower gland 12 are prevented from flowing upwardly out of the shell 11 by the upper sealing gland 13, and must therefore pass through the outlet 14 into the enlarged flexible conduit 16 wherein the velocity is further diminished but is still sufficient to carry all of the chips and dust through the conduit discharge end 46 and into the separator 15.

As the stream of cuttings-flushing air is delivered from the upper end of conduit end 46, the chips and heavier particles are carried upwardly and thrown outwardly and drop by gravity through the annular gap 51, while the air stream carries the remaining lighter dust particles upwardly and delivers the same into the ambient atmosphere through the upper open end of the cylinder 43. During this separation of the constituents of the cuttings, the upwardly advancing air stream flowing through the upright cylinder is still flowing at sufficient velocity to suck atmospheric air upwardly through the gap 51 thus creating an annular Ifresh air stream which prevents excessive quantities of dust from escaping through this gap with the chips. This suction action may be readily varied by `adjusting the position of the cylinder 43 relative to the conduit end 46 with the aid of the struts 47, studs 49 and hand nuts 50, and when proper adjustment has been effected, the cuttings-ushing system will function automatically as long as the drill is operating normally.

During such normal operation of the drill, the guide blocks 31 coacting with the bore 30 of the ring 29 at the upper end of the shell 11 and with the successive drill rod sections 10 will cooperate with the drill hole 20 to effectively centralize the advancing bit 8, and the gasket 22 and upper sealing gland cooperate with the shell 11 to positively prevent escape of cuttings-flushing compressed air except through the outlet 14. When it is desired to lift the drill string, slip-prevention blocks 31 such as shown in FIG. 7 should be substituted for the guide blocks 311 shown in FIG. 2, and the teeth 31 of the blocks 31 will then positively hold and prevent the drill string from dropping whenever the lifting force is released. After the drill actuating power and the flushing compressed air have been interrupted, the bit guiding and cuttings-flushing and separating assemblages may be transported as a unit and applied to another locality by merely lifting the bit 8 upwardly Iinto engagement with the sealing element ange 40 and bushing 33 while the latter is secured to the shell 11 by the screws 35 as in FIG. 3. The guide and separator may then be moved about `freely without danger of damaging the drill bit 8 or other parts confined within the housing shell; and in order to completely remove the drill bit 8 and collar 33 together with the upper gland 13 from the shell 11, it is only necessary to release the screws 35 and to thereafter lift the drill bit and associated parts out of the housing as depicted in FIG. l, and these parts may be just as readily reassembled.

From the foregoing detailed description, it will be apparent that the present invention is, in fact, an improved method of flushing the drill holes 20 and of separating the removed cuttings, which requires no additional power other than the compressed air used to convey the chips and dust away from the cutting zone 19. The system can be eiiectively regulated to insure most efficient automatic functioning by merely adjusting the cylinder 43 relative to the conduit end 46 so as to vary the gap 51 and the air stream velocity and the resultant suction action in the separator 15, and the dust-free chips and other solid matter removed from the cuttings may either be deposited on the ground or collected in receptacles while the dust may be delivered into the ambient atmosphere or likewise collected. By attaching the separator 15 directly to the drill guiding shell 11, the entire installation can be handled as a portable compact unit sealingly cooperable with rough ground by virtue of the provision of the thick sponge rubber sealing gasket 22.

The large diameter upper sealing gland 39 which is adapted to sealingly engage the rod sections and to also coact with the larger rock drill 9 which carries the bit 8, also cooperates with the gasket 22 to positively prevent undesirable escape of compressed ushing air, and the lower gland 12 cooperates with the enlarged conduit 16 to effectively decelerate and conduct the chip and dustladen air into the separator 15. The upper sealing gland 13 is readily removable from the shell 11 upon withdrawal of the guiding blocks 31, 31' and the bushing 33 may likewise be removed together with the packing element 39` upon release of the screws 35, while the lower gland 12 may be likewise removed upon release of the bottom washer 23. The entire structure may thus be quickly and conveniently assembled and dismantled, and embodies few parts exposed and subject to excessive wear due primarily to the provision and formation of the lower gland 12.

It should be understood that it is not desired to limit this invention to the exact steps of the method or to the precise construction and operation of the apparatus herein specifically described and shown, for various modifications within the scope of the appended claims may occur to persons skilled in the art.

We claim:

l. In a rock drilling unit wherein removal of cuttings is effected by compressed air, a drill rod guiding shell having one end sealingly cooperable with the ground and in communication with a drill hole in the ground and its opposite end sealingly cooperable with the drill rod, swirling -means between said ends and including flexible annular elements having circumferentially staggered and segment-al flanges for swirling the chip and dust-laden compressed air stream escaping through said hole end, said shell defining an enlarged initial ow decelerating chamber for the stream disposed contiguous with said swirling means, a conduit carried by said shell and communicating with said chamber for conducting the swirling stream laterally away from the chamber while further decelerating the velocity of said stream, and a gravity separator also carried by said shell and coacting with the delivery end of said conduit to effect gravity separation of the heavier chips from the ladvancing dust-laden stream.

2. A rock drill assemblage comprising, a drill rod guiding shell having one end cooperable with the open end of a drill hole and sealingly cooperable with the ground at said hole end while its opposite end is provided with a rigid portion having a tapered Ibore formed coaxially of the drill rod, several arcuate wedges cooperable with said bore to guide an intervening drill rod centrally of the bore holes, an annular bushing rigidly secured within said shell adjacent to said bore and being engageable by the drill bit when elevated to effect lifting and transportation of the entire assemblage, and

means operable from the outside of said shell kfor rigidly but detachably securing said bushing in said shell, whereby said bushing can be removed from said shell with said drill bit when said means detaches said bushing.

3. A rock drill assemblage comprising, a drill rod guiding shell having one end cooperable with the open end .of a drill hole and sealingly cooperable with the ground at said hole end while its opposite end is provided with a rigid portion having a tapered Ibore formed coaxially of the drill rod, several arcuate Wedges cooperable with said bore to guide an intervening drill rod centrally of the bore, an annular seal detachably conined within said shell adjacent to said bore and beneath said wedges, said annular seal having several flexible disks sealingly cooperable with the -drill rod and an intervening rigid bushing of less internal diameter than the external diameter of the drill bit, and means operable from outside said shell yfor detaching said bushing therefrom.

4. A rock drilling unit 4for removing debris by compressed air comprising, a `drill rod guiding shell having a lower end adapted to be sealingly cooperable with the ground and having a tapered bore formed in its upper end, removable guide wedges in said bore and having an external taper complementary therewith, saidl wedges adapted to slidingly guide a drill rod in said upper end, a gravity separator xed to said shell, a debris conduit connected between said shell and separator, means located within and adjacent said lower end of said shell for effecting swirling of debris, and a rigid bushing within said shell and located adjacent and beneath said guide wedges and having an internal diameter less than the external diameter of a drill bit whereby suicient lifting of said bit efects its engagement with said bushing and consequent lifting of said shell and separator together as a unit.

5. A rock drilling unit for removing debris by compressed air comprising, a Idrill rod guiding shell having a lower end adapted to Ibe sealingly cooperable with the ground and having a tapered Ibore formed in its upper end, removable guide wedges in said bore and having an external taper complementary therewith, said wedges adapted to slidingly guide a drill rod in said upper end, a gravity separator fixed -to said shell, swirling means located within and adjacent said lower end of said shell for effecting swirling of debris, a rigid bushing within said shell and located adjacent said guide wedges and having an internal diameter less than the external diameter of a drill bit to permit engagement thereof with said bushing when said -bit is raised and consequent lifting of said shell and separator, and a debris conduit connected at one end to said shell at a location between said swirling means and said rigid bushing, said conduit connected at its other end to said separator.

6. A rock drilling unit Ifor removing debris by compressed air comprising, a drill rod guiding shell having a lower end adapted to be sealingly cooperable with the ground and having a tapered bore formed in its upper end, removable guide wedges in said bore and having an external taper complementary therewith, said Wedges adapted to slidingly guide a drill rod in said upper end, a gravity separator xed to said shell, a debris conduit connected between said shell and separator, means located within and adjacent said lower end of said shell for eiecting swirling of debris, a rigid bushing within said shell and located adjacent and beneath said guide wedges and having an internal diameter less than the external diameter of a drill bit, means operable from the outside of said shell for rigidly but removably securing said bushing in said shell, whereby suicient lifting of said bit effects its engagement with said bushing and consequent removal of said bushing with said bit from said shell.

7. A rock drilling unit for removing `debris by compressed air comprising, a drill rod guiding shell having a lower end adapted to be sealingly cooperable with the ground and having a wedge seating bore formed in its upper end, removable guide wedges in said bore for slidingly and guidingly receiving a drill rod in said upper end, a gravity separator fixed to said shell, swirling means located within and adjacent said lower end of said shell for effecting swirling of debris, a rigid bushing within said shell and located adjacent said guide Wedges, a debris conduit having a connection within said shell between said bushing and said swirling means, said conduit also connected with said separator, said bushing having an internal diameter less than the external diameter of a drill bit whereby lifting `of said bit causes its engagement with said bushing and consequent lifting of said shell and separator together as a unit.

8. A rock drilling unit comprising, a drill rod -guiding shell having a lower end cooperable with the ground and an upper end having a wedge seating bore, removable guide wedges in said bore and slidingly guiding a drill rod in the upper end of said shell, and an annular bushing rigidly and detachably secured within said shell and beneath said guide wedges, said annular bushing being engageable by a bit of said drill rod when the latter is elevated sufficiently to thereby lift said shelf for transport, said annular bushing being removable through the upper end of said shell after said guide wedges have been removed from said bore.

9. A rock drilling unit comprising, a drill rod guiding shell having a lower end cooperable with the ground and an upper end having a Wedge seating bore, removable guide wedges in said bore, said wedges defining a central opening for slidingly guiding a drill rod in the upper end of said shell, an annular bushing rigidly and detachably secured within said shell and beneath said guide wedges, and means operable from the outside of said shell for rigidly but detachably securing said bushing in said shell, said annular bushing being of such internal diameter so as to be engageable by a bit of said drill rod when the latter is sufhciently elevated to thereby lift said shell for transport, said annular bushing being removable through the upper end of said shell after said guide wedges have been removed from said bore.

l0. A rock drilling unit of the type having a drill rod guiding shell including a lower end cooperable with the ground and an upper end having a Wedge seating bore, and removable guide wedges in said bore for slidingly guiding a drill rod in the upper end of said shell, the improvement residing in an annular bushing rigidly and detachably secured within said shell and beneath said guide wedges, fastening means operable from outside said shell for removably securing said bushing therein, said annular bushing *being engageable by a bit of said drill rod when the latter is elevated sufficiently to thereby lift said shell for transport, said annular bushing when detached from said shell being liftable together with said drill rod through the upper end of said shell after said guide wedges have been removed.

l1. In a rock drilling unit for removing debris by compressed air and having a shell engageable at one end with the ground, and drill rod sealing means in said shell and adjacent its other end, the improvement residing in swirling means located within said shell and intermediate its ends, said swirling means comprising a series of annular elements axially spaced apart and having segmental flange portions extending radially inwardly, the said portions of one of said elements being staggered in respect to the portions of another element as to define helical passages through which debris passes and is caused to swirl.

12. A rock drilling unit for removing debris by compressed air comprising, a shell engageable at one end with the ground, and swirling means located wi-thin said shell and intermediate its ends and including a series of annular elements axially spaced apart and having segmental ange portions which are flexible and extend radially inwardly, said portions being of such radial length as to be deformable by la drill rod extending centrally through said elements, the said portions of one of said elements being staggered in yrespect to the portions of another element as to define with said rod helical passages through which debris passes and is caused to swirl.

13. In a rock drilling unit for removing debris by cornpressed air and having a shell engageable at one end with the ground, drill rod sealing means in said shell and adjacent its other end, the improvement residing in swirling means located within said shell and intermediate its ends, said swirling means comprising a series of annular elements axially spaced apart and having segmental ange portions which are deformable land extend radially inl wardly, the said portions of one of said elements being staggered in respect to the portions of another element as to define helical passages through which debris passes and is caused to swirl, said portions being engageable and deformable by a drill rod extending centrally therethrough.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 895,228 Bartlett Aug. 4, 1908 1,215,890 Thuneman Feb. 13, 1917 1,264,155 Chapman Apr. 30, 1918 1,455,142 Loyd May 15, 1923 1,559,932 Bogen Nov. 3, 1925 1,560,701 Layton Nov. l0, 1925 1,850,719 Herz Mar. 22, 1932 1,891,953 Sellars Dec. 27, 1932 1,981,570 Price Nov. 20, 1934 2,279,186 Terry et al. Apr. 7, 1942 2,618,925 Wislicenus Nov. 25, 1952 2,646,256 Lobbert July 21, 1953 2,730,333 Lenhart et al. Jan. 10, 1956 2,738,163 Shields Mar. 13, 1956 2,740,609 Richardson et al. Apr. 3, 1956 2,828,108 Hood et al Mar. 25, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 12,011 Great Britain June 9, 1899 396,066 Great Britain July 17, 1933 559,024 Canada June 17, 1958 

